OFFICERS' SERVANTS
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR-1 SLR,—Mr. Winston Churchill's argument re the two hundred thousand officers' servants who should be available for the firing line on the face of it is specious enough. But a little inquiry will show that the bulk of this " reserve " is already tapped. Every regimental officer has a servant: those of infantry and artillery officers accompany their masters to the trenches or their gun positions, and consequently are always available for fighting duties. In fact, in my battery the servants of the officers and mess cook, &c., actually form part of the gun detach- ments. Our memories are short-lived. It would be interesting to look up how often, during the days of " Eyewitness," the servants and cooks are reported as being the final line on which a German attack has spent itself. As regards grooms, certain officers have to be mounted, and some one has to look after their horses, in most cases two per officer. There is probably a case for the reduction of the numbers of officers' servants of the non-combatant branches of the Army, and for officers at base depots and establishments and units on the lines of communi- cations or at G.H.Q. But there can be no doubt about the fighting utility of the servants of officers whose units are " in the trenches."—
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